Re: [ontolog-forum] Ontology-based database integration

[Pavithra <pavithra_kenjige@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dr Sowa,

Bell labs would cry if you keep saying Borland all the time without mentioning them.. even though Borland supported C++ quite early for pcs. .

At that time Bell labs were C and Unix gurus and they supported C++ later on! 

My point is,  the suite of computer languages and tools need to be compatible with current accepted methodologies, frameworks, architectural layers ....and user communities.. to have successful usage!

About "Fish"..  ( here is a logical explanation for my intuitive writing..)

Fish are a separate classification simply called "fish": they are not amphibians, which include frogs, toads, newts and salamanders. A major difference between the two classifications is that amphibians breathe using gills or spiracles when they are young and develop lungs as they grow: fish rely on gills for their entire lives.

There is a definite biological feature the separates the two classes!  However theory of evolution explains how eventually living beings can change from one to another.. but my point is, when it does change, it is referred with a different name.. not the previous name..

Change is inevitable, which should create something new that is different than old! Fish is fish when grows and a toad grows into a frog! 

Pavithra


--- On Sun, 10/18/09, John F. Sowa <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: John F. Sowa <sowa@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [ontolog-forum] Ontology-based database integration
To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 7:39 PM

Pavithra,

PK> I would think, for fish, living in the water is "essential"
> property.  Because amphibians are called amphibians like frog,
> crocodoil ... and for amphibians it is an 'accidental' property.

An essential property is one that is so fundamental that the
thing cannot exist without it.  Being an animal is essential
for all animals.  Flying is important for birds, but birds can
exist without flying.  Living in water is normal for fish, but
some fish can live out of water for some period of time.  And
the first amphibians were descended from fish that happened
to live out of water for much longer periods of time.

Therefore, living in water is normal for fish, but not an
absolute requirement.  Being an animal, however, is essential.

PK> Ada supported semi object oriented concepts and not all of it.

That is true.  But C supported none of those concepts.  My point
was that adapting Ada to a full OO language would be easier than
extending C to C++.

PK> Ada was considered industrial strength, however only DOD
> supported it.

That is true.  But in the early 1980s, Turbo Pascal from Borland
was the major programming language for the IBM PC.  There were
also many versions of Pascal available for all of the other major
computer systems in the world.  However, Pascal lacked a number
of features that were important for a system programming language.

Ada defined those features, and as soon as the definition was
complete, Borland and everybody else who had a Pascal compiler
was able to implement those features very quickly.

Unfortunately, the DoD killed Ada by a very poor decision:
they refused to allow anyone to use the name Ada unless they
supported every feature in the definition -- including the
rather poor support for multitasking.  Since those features
were difficult to implement, especially on DOS, very few
companies decided to implement Ada.

PK> So many people were happy to use C until C++ came about....

In the early 1980s, C was available mainly on Unix.  There were
a few simple subsets, such as Tiny C, on the PC.  But Pascal was
the most widely used language.  If the DoD had allowed Borland
and other companies to use the name Ada for a subset, that
subset would have very quickly become the major language.

John



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